by Ezabelle Janssen, Senior Staff Writer
PASS CHRISTIAN (GG) — Small school: big results.
Pineville Elementary School celebrated a major literacy milestone on Monday, August 17th, as students, teachers, administrators, and community members gathered in the gymnasium to recognize the school as a 2026-27 Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading School.
The Mississippi Department of Education’s K-3 Literacy Leadership Team presented Pineville Elementary with the distinction, celebrating the school’s dedication to strengthening literacy instruction and building strong readers from kindergarten through third grade.
Students filled the gymnasium, adorned with party hats, as the school celebrated the hard work behind the recognition before heading back to class with cupcakes in hand.
But beneath the celebration was a year of dedication, training, and teamwork.
Former Pineville Elementary Principal Jamie Boyer, who led the school while it worked toward the designation, said meeting the criteria required the entire school to pull together.
“We had to work towards meeting certain criteria, and one of the components was making sure that my teachers were highly trained in the Science of Reading, teaching phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary,” Boyer said. She explained how the school implemented an integrated, schoolwide intervention block where teachers and teacher assistants worked directly with students who needed additional support. “It was all hands on deck,” said Boyer.
The work did not stop with literacy teachers. Science and social studies teachers incorporated vocabulary lessons, math teachers used short constructed responses to strengthen writing skills, and the school ensured its instruction was composed of high-quality materials.
“It was really a lot of teamwork, support from the district level, and just hard work and making sure that it was consistently done,” Boyer said.
The Emerging Science of Reading distinction recognizes schools that demonstrate much more than a single change in the classroom. Schools must implement high-quality, research-aligned instructional materials, provide ongoing professional development, demonstrate significant reading growth through assessments, and show that teachers have changed their instructional practices.
At least 80% of teachers and school leaders must also complete statewide literacy professional development, while schools are expected to build professional learning opportunities and plans for continued improvement.
For the 2026-27 school year, MDE designated 15 elementary schools as Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading Schools and one school. MDE began offering the recognition during the 2021-22 school year, and 33 different schools have received the distinction to date.
Current Pineville Elementary Principal Abby Engle said the recognition belongs to the entire school community. “I am very proud, and we are all very proud of our students and our teachers, faculty, and staff,” Engle said. “It was a community effort to get this award, to make lifelong readers.”
For a school Boyer described as “small but mighty,” Monday’s celebration was a reminder that size does not determine impact. “Everyone pitches in and gets results,” Boyer said.
For Engle, that determination is evident every morning when students walk through the doors. “The kids are absolutely amazing, and they have worked very, very, very hard for this accomplishment. They come to school each day, giving their 100% every day.”
Monday’s party hats and cupcakes may have been for one morning, but Pineville’s dedication to creating lifelong readers will continue long after the party ends.
